Unlike fossil fuels, biomass comes from living plants and that continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. Hemp creates a lot of oxygen and takes large quantities of carbon out of the air. It is able to do this because of the height it grows usually 15 to 20 feet high. Hemp fields could be instrumental in the decrease of green house gases on the planet. When hemp is grown for biomass, carbon dioxide is taken in and metabolized by the plant, generating oxygen in the process. When the biomass is burned as fuel, the carbon dioxide is released back into the air. This maintains a carbon dioxide cycle. By comparison, burning fossil fuels puts carbon back into the air and provides no means of generating oxygen in the process thus disrupting the carbon dioxide cycle.
Hemp is the only plant capable of producing enough bio mass to provide an alternative to fossil fuels. Hemp could stop a multitude of damaging effects caused by fossil fuels, sulfur-based smog, acid rain, oil spills and strip mining.
Hemp is a high yield fiber crop, producing more bio mass per acre than most other crops. Hydro carbons in hemp can be produced into a low polluting, renewable alternative to fossil fuels that does not pollute the atmosphere. Bio diesel and ethanol are to alternative fuels that hemp is excellent for. These fuels can be made into pellets, gas, liquid gas greatly reducing our utilization of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Both fiber and seed can be used depending on what fuel is to be made.
Because hemp is rich with cellulose it is a great candidate to replace petroleum based plastics that are not bio degradable where as hemp oil plastics are, a mixture of recycled plastic with hemp oil are being used for injected molded products also resin made from hemp could one day be produced. BMW in an effort to make cars more recyclable is using hemp raw materials in their cars. Hemp is being used for insulation because of its high insulation factor, superior strength, its lighter, is more cost effective and biodegradable.
The highest quality paper is made from hemp, it does not yellow when acid free process is used, resist decomposition unlike paper made from trees. A piece of paper made from hemp was found that is 1500 years old. One acre of hemp can produce as much paper as four acre of trees. Hemp paper can be recycled more times than wood, hemp does not need to be bleached thus stopping the dumping of toxic chemicals into lakes, streams and rivers. Hemp would stop the cutting of forest; we would never have to cut down another tree for paper.
Hemp is a healthy source of protein for pets, livestock and humans. A multitude of food products can be made from hemp seed and hemp seed has extraordinary nutritional value and are longer lasting and more digestible than soybean. The main protein in hemp seed is "edestin" (aids in digestion) which unlike soy bean does not need to be fermented or cooked to be digestible. Hemp seeds have all the essential and semi essential fatty acids in the right ratio required by humans. Hemp has a balance of three parts Omega-6 to Omega-3. Some of the other benefits of having all these Essential Fatty Acids in the diet include an increased metabolism, lower cholesterol, better digestion, general vigor, improved skin and hair condition, and a boosted immune system.
Hemp oil is also being used for laundry detergents that bio degrades naturally in our waterways.
Hemp offers many environmental friendly benefits compared to wood. Hemp achieves better land consumption; one acre of hemp can yield 8 tons of fiber, which is 4 times the yield of an average forest. Hemp can be harvested twice in one season compared to 20 years for trees. Since hemp aerates the soil and leaves the soil in good condition hemp can be grown on the same land over and over again. Many acres of forest could be saved by industrial cultivation of hemp for paper alone.
The replacement of wood fiber by hemp-based products can save forests for wildlife habitat, watersheds, recreational areas, oxygen production, and carbon sequestration to help in reducing global warming.
Hemp is a viable option to cotton. Hemp has few natural predators and it grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. Cotton consumes about 30% of all pesticides used on crops in the U.S. Some of these chemicals are among the most toxic classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hemp yields 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax without the need for toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Hemp is 4 times more durable than cotton. Hemp fibers are also more absorbent, more mildew-resistant, and more isolative than cotton. There for hemp will keep you warmer in winter and cooler in summer than cotton. Hemp is more effective at blocking the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This means your cloths are more resistant to fading. When blended with materials such as cotton, linen, and silk, hemp provides a sturdier, longer lasting product, while maintaining quality and softness.
With all these facts hemp has more answers than questions. The main answer is that hemp is a viable industrial crop with a multitude of applications. If we can save the planet, make the human race healthy, generate jobs, generate manufacturing, generate exports, generate farming and stimulate the economy, why make this crop illegal to grow?
No comments:
Post a Comment